In the olden days, when you were home alone, the only way to get some real live company was to step outside and go find a real live person to talk to. Then in the late 1800s, thanks to Alexander Graham Bell’s newest invention, you could actually walk over to a funny-shaped machine, punch in a few numbers, and — magic! Today we can liven things up — and make things really interactive from our homes. We can call a hotline. In one instant, we’re connected. Now we’re talking!